In different years of its history, the Turkmen parliament was called differently – the Supreme Council before gaining independence and the Mejlis after gaining it. At the same time, for all the years since its formation, the national Parliament of Turkmenistan has maintained its originality and legal culture and has developed the national parliamentary system.

Parliament is a nationwide representative institution of the state, exercising legislative functions; it is the highest elected legislature. Parliamentarism is a system of the organisation and functioning of the supreme state power, characterised by the separation of the legislative and executive functions of power. The revival of effective parliamentary system in Turkmenistan began in 2007 and was associated with the reforms in all spheres of the society and state under the leadership of the respected Arkadag.